This project aims to create a full set of modular tools for autonomous robotic surgery as well as the perceptual capabilities and logical framework to integrate them into full procedures

This $8,538,979 Cooperative Agreement award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), CFDA 93.384, aims to create a full set of modular tools for autonomous robotic surgery and the supporting perceptual and logical framework to integrate them into complete procedures. The project team at Vanderbilt University will develop autonomous capabilities across seven core surgical tasks - retraction, resection, hemostasis, proprioception, debridement, palpation, and suturing. The robot will be able to assess its own uncertainty and request human intervention when needed. Two demonstrations of autonomous robotic surgery are planned. Vanderbilt has sub-awarded work to the University of Tennessee, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Utah to support various aspects of the project, including tool development, surgical workflow automation, and training personnel on the robotic system.

The team has divided surgical procedures into seven core tasks retraction resection hemostasis proprioception debridement palpation and suturing. The team then creates a logical framework that defines procedures in terms of these seven basic tasks and allows the robot to progress from one task to another. As the robot carries out a procedure IT not only assesses completeness of the subtask but also its own uncertainty allowing IT to request human surgeon intervention when uncertainty is high. The program culminates with two demonstrations of autonomous robotic surgery.